Decor Calling: Home Furnishings Go Mobile

House15143 is Sewickley debuts “House Calls,” a mobile Airstream designed to bring the shopping experience to you (or an event near you).

photo by Laura Petrilla
 

There are food trucks to make an event more delicious and fashion trucks to make them more stylish. Now, there’s the Airstream, a mobile home store that will bring home décor to you.

Danielle Franks and Kristin Bordeau debuted “House Calls” in May as an outpost of their Sewickley home store, House15143.

The Airstream merchandise can be customized for any event, from community festivals to girls’ nights, and the vehicle will travel to most any part of the city.

“We give people the complete shopping experience in a mobile form,” Franks says.

She described the house-party option as a “modern-day Tupperware party.” Hosts can invite friends to their event, where merchandise will be available in the Airstream, and the host gets 10 percent of the night’s sales in a gift certificate to House15143 or as a donation to their favorite charity.

House15143 is known for its custom framework, specialty and holiday items, as well as its inviting new storefront on Beaver Street. Franks says she hopes the Airstream will allow the owners to take their store to new communities.

“It’s really a good marketing vehicle for us as well — to tell people about the store, get people out to the store, but also tell people about our services,” Franks says. “We do a lot of in-home consulting for furniture, decorating, special projects, remodels … so that’s a vehicle for us as well.”